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Displaying items by tag: One Wild Ride

#OneWildRide - Schull sailor Gary Sargent aims to be the first to round Ireland in a Laser dinghy when he embarks on his charity voyage within the next fortnight.

As previously noted on Afloat.ie, the Howth Yacht Club member and Frostbite competitor is "undertaking the mammoth task of sailing a Laser around Ireland" this summer.

And as The Irish Times reports, 'Ted' hopes to raise funds during his eight-week, 1,500km solo circumnavigation for ChildVision, a charity supporting children with visual impairments and related disabilities.



While he's sailing alone on his Laser on his One Wild Ride, he will have the support of a RIB and volunteers on shore following him along the route with necessary supplies.

Even so, Sargent's been battling the elements – and the unseasonable cold – on his long-distance training runs, proving that he's no pretender for this challenging task.

The Irish Times has more in the story HERE.

Published in Laser

About the ILCA/Laser Dinghy

The ILCA, formerly known as the Laser, is the most produced boat in the world, with 220,000 units built since 1971.

It's easy to see why the single-handed dinghy has won the title of the most widely distributed boat of all time.

The Laser is a one-design dinghy, the hulls being identical but three rigs that can be used according to the size and weight of the sailor.

The class is international, with sailors from 120 countries. The boat has also been an Olympic class since 1996, being both the men's and women's singlehanded dinghy.

Three rigs are recognised by the International Laser Class Association (ILCA):

  • ILCA 4: sail of 4.70m2
  • ILCA 6: sail of 5.76 m2
  • ILCA 7: sail of 7.06 m2